Horrors' Tunnel
by Dreamer Boy
Summary: A Thomas Halloween story. Percy isn't happy to be going out to work on Halloween - especially when he learns there's a tunnel on his route that's filled with horrors! Of course, the source he hears this from isn't the most reliable, but what happens when he reaches the tunnel? Will he dare go in to face whatever may be awaiting him inside? And if so, will he ever puff out again?
1. Scared Little Engine

**Hey guys! As it's nearly Halloween, I've decided to write a new story to celebrate the occasion. After much thinking, I came up with this Thomas one. This is a bit of a mix of comedy and horror - although I feel the former with outweigh the latter. I'm not sure whether you'll find any of the scenes creepy - but I sure hope they make you laugh. :P**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Thomas the Tank Engine. It belongs to HIT Entertainment.**

* * *

It was a dark, misty night on the Island of Sodor. In fact, it was actually the scariest night of the year; Halloween!

All over the island, children were celebrating. They were making the most of this night where they could be nasty little blighters. They were partying at parties, stuffing their faces with sweets, playing horrible tricks on any adult mean enough not to give them any and trying to scare the jeepers out of anybody they met. It sure was another fun-filled Halloween for the children.

For the engines, however, it was just another working night. Their overweight master, the Fat Controller, was keeping them very busy to make sure the railway would bring him plenty more money. So with their fires burning and smoke pouring from their funnels, the engines were steaming busily through the foggy night.

All except for Thomas and Percy, who were alone at Tidmouth Sheds, doing absolutely nothing.

Percy peered out nervously into the darkness that filled the yard. His whole boiler was shuddering in fear. "I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm scared."

"Why are you scared, Percy?" Thomas asked.

"It's Halloween! I'm supposed to be scared tonight! And you should be, too, Thomas!"

Thomas was just sighing over the fact he didn't have any hands to facepalm over Percy's stupidity when the Fat Controller arrived.

"Ah, Percy!" he boomed. "There you are!"

"Well where else would he be?" one of the Fat Controller's assistants in blue whispered to the other one. "He didn't give him any jobs to do today."

Fortunately, the Fat Controller didn't hear the exchange going on behind him. He was too busy focusing on the little green engine. "I've got a very important job for you tonight!"

"Really?!" Percy gasped. He didn't want to go out on Halloween. He was _really_ terrified now.

"I want you to take a goods train to Brendam Docks!"

"Sir?" Thomas wheeshed. "Can I go to the children's Halloween party at Knapford Station?"

The Fat Controller glared angrily. "Thomas, you've asked me that question ten billion times today, and I've told you, the answer is no!"

"He's actually asked you only twenty-two times, Sir," the second assistant in blue corrected.

"Don't interrupt me!" snapped the Fat Controller, elbowing the assistant. "You're supposed to keep your trap shut!"

"But, Sir," whined Thomas, "you haven't given me any jobs tonight. So I don't see why I can't go."

"Because I might just have something for you to do later! In the meantime, you just stay there like a good little engine! As soon as there's a new job to be done, I'll come straight for you!"

The Fat Controller swung around and wobbled back to his car. The two assistants followed him - with the one ruefully rubbing his ribs.

Thomas sulked bitterly over not getting what he wanted, but Percy was too petrified to notice. He was gazing out timidly through the blankets of fog that made all the familiar shapes in the yard look very obscured. Any other night, he would've happily steamed out through the fog to do his work without an ounce of fear in his boiler. But this was Halloween. Percy knew this was the night dedicated to all things scary - and he was certainly scared!

"I don't wanna go out!" he wailed unhappily.

"Neither do I," muttered his Driver. "My kids are at the Halloween party and my wife's gone to stay with her sister for the weekend. I was hoping to have a lads' night in with my mates to watch _Nightmarish Nights Are Nigh_."

"Are you kidding?!" the Fireman scoffed. "That's one of the worst movies ever in existence! Not even my kids could be scared by it! I tried showing it to my goldfish to prove how bad it was - and he lost interest five seconds in!"

While the Driver and Fireman argued over whether the movie they were discussing was good or not, Percy puffed slowly out of the sheds. The glow from his lamp barely pierced through the fog which swirled mysteriously around him. He gulped nervously. He had no idea what was going to happen to him. All he knew was that this was the worst night of the year to go out and do a job.

And all just because it was the night when kids wear spooky costumes.

Soon, Percy had left the yard. He had taken the sound of his puffing and his crew arguing with him. Thomas was now the only engine left in the shed.

And he was making the only noise that filled the yard, which was his childish sulking.

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**Hope this first chapter has got you wanting to read on. This story will only be about four chapters long, though I do hope I can get them all done before Halloween arrives!**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter. :)**


	2. Really Bad Spooky Story

**Hope you've enjoyed the first chapter - because already, here's the second one!**

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When Percy arrived at the goods yard, he waited as the workmen began loading his long line of trucks (which they should've done earlier, except they had chosen to slack off). His Driver and Fireman saw this as a chance to have a mug of cocoa in the cab. They sipped away on their hot drinks and continued disagreeing on the spookiness quality of _Nightmarish Nights are Nigh_. Both were completely unbothered by the fact their little engine was frightened.

As he watched the mist swirl hauntingly around him, Percy suddenly heard a horrible moan come from somewhere behind him.

"_Oooooooohhhh!_"

He froze. His eyes widened in fear as his lips trembled rapidly. "Who's there?!"

"_Oooooooooohhhhh!_"

Percy's fear would have made the water in his boiler run cold - if not for the roaring fire in his firebox. That didn't mean he was more terrified than he had ever felt in his life. In spite of the fact he'd encountered scarier things that this, any bravery he'd mustered up in those experiences was not in him now. It was incredible how much panic there was inside one little tank engine.

"_Oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh!_"

"Leave me alone!" Percy wailed. "Go back to your ugly, ghostly family where you belong!"

For a moment, the moaning stopped. There wasn't another howl to be heard. Unsure if whoever was making the noise had agreed to leave him alone, Percy listened hard, straining his non-existent ears. The only sounds to be heard were the workmen loading the trucks and the slurping and squabbling from his crew.

And then a loud roar thundered across the yard, making Percy jump with fright (in spite of his lack of legs).

"You have angered me, Percy!" a loud, ghostly voice exploded. "You insulted my family! Now I'm going to show you just how scary I really am!"

Percy's terror level multiplied itself by a hundred. He was even more spooked now that he had made this sinister unknown creature angry with him, as well as the fact it somehow knew his name. He stood where he was, waiting with dread for the creature to reveal itself to him - too busy panicking to take note of the revving sound that was coming from behind him on the line on his left.

And then suddenly, a large shape screeched up alongside Percy, letting off a huge roar. "_RAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!_"

Percy shrieked, whistling piercingly and blowing steam everywhere in his terror. He was absolutely petrified - until he heard a snickering come from the steam on his right. It brought a deep glare to his face as he recognised it immediately. He watched as the steam he'd left off cleared, revealing to him the one who'd just been creeping him out.

It was - as anyone with at least one brain cell would've guessed - Diesel.

"Scary! Aren't I, Percy?" he sneered. "Maybe you'll think twice now about insulting my family!"

Percy rolled his eyes. He didn't bother to come up with a snarky comment about the fact Diesel had no family. He listened to the workmen howling with laughter behind him. He wished they would just hurry up and finish loading the trucks so that he could get away from this rude and annoying engine. Even going out on Halloween was better than spending any time with Diesel.

"So you're pulling a train on Halloween, are you?" Diesel asked in his oily voice. "Are you scared?"

Percy was still afraid to be puffing across the island on the scariest night of the year, but even he knew not to tell Diesel that. "No! Of course not! I'm not a bit scared!"

"Oh..." Diesel said calmly. "Then you'll have no trouble puffing through Horrors' Tunnel on your route."

Percy's eyes widened so much they nearly popped out of his face (which would've been really freaky to see). The words 'Horrors' Tunnel' had taken an instant effect on him, as he had never heard of such a place on Sodor before. He gazed at Diesel in growing worry, wanting to learn more about what he had just mentioned.

"Horror's Tunnel?" he squeaked. "What's that?"

"Oh, only a tunnel filled with horrors. Speaks for itself, really. I thought even _you _would realize that."

"Well, what I wanna know is ... what sort of horrors?"

"You know. Ghosts, monsters ... all the kind which parents tell their kids are not real. They really do all live there, you know."

Percy pursed his lips tightly together. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. All this time, the beautiful Island of Sodor had a tunnel filled with spooks - and he was expected to puff through it tonight! Of course, being as stupid as he was, Percy was far too dull to know not to trust Diesel's words.

"Have any engines ever travelled through Horrors' Tunnel before?" he asked nervously.

"One did, long ago..." Diesel's lips twisted into a nasty smirk. "And he never came out again."

Percy gasped.

"It's not known for sure what became of him," Diesel said darkly. "But with the tunnel being filled with horrors, it's possible that the ghosts and monsters got him. One thing's for certain; that engine never came out of the tunnel again. And any engine who dares to enter it now may just suffer the same fate."

Percy gulped. This was the worst news he'd ever heard. He didn't know what he was going to do when he reached Horrors' Tunnel. He didn't want to end up the like the engine who went into it and never came out again - nor did he want the horrors that lived inside to get him.

Just then, the yard manager came up.

"What are you doing here, Diesel?" he frowned. "You're supposed to be helping Whiff and Scruff at the waste dump! Get there now before I tell the Fat Controller you've been skiving!"

"Blast!" Diesel spat. His attempts to hide away from his smelly work for that evening had failed. He grudgingly began to oil away from Percy, but not before giving him another little smirk. "Good luck, Percy. Hope you make it out of Horrors' Tunnel."

Percy watched with worried eyes as Diesel left the yard and disappeared into the mist. He was really frightened now. Every word Diesel had just fed him (none of which had tasted very nice), Percy believed. He'd had some scary Halloweens before this one, but this one was definitely the worst ever. Going into a tunnel that was filled with horrors had to be the worst thing to make an engine do.

Especially if the last one to go in there never came out again. Percy was certain that if he set a wheel in there, the same thing would happen to him.

At that moment, a loud voice from one of the workmen cut through the mist-filled air. "We're done loading your trucks now!"

"Great!" another workman shouted thankfully. "That means I can finally go home and put my feet up with a cup of tea."

Percy's Driver looked back towards the brake van and saw the Guard showing his green lamp. "Come on, Percy," he said. "Let's get this train straight to Brendam."

Reluctantly, Percy started to turn his wheels. The smoke and steam he'd built up escaped from him through his funnel, but his fear couldn't do the same. He puffed through the yard, pulling his heavy train of trucks along. He passed through the gates that were held open to let him out, then rattled over the points that led him onto the main line.

All the while, he knew every turn of his wheels was taking him closer to the dreadful Horrors' Tunnel...

* * *

**So Percy's been given his Halloween story for the year. And he's a really scared little engine here! Even more than he was in the sixth season episode, 'Scaredy Engines'. :P**

**I've changed my mind about how many chapters this story will have; there will be five instead of four, as I said in the last chapter. Hope you're enjoying it so far.**


	3. When Locomotives Go Loco

**Here's chapter three!**

* * *

It was almost impossible for Percy to see where he was going, thanks to the swirling mist. He wished he had a much brighter lamp instead of the weak, cheap one the Fat Controller had bought for him. He had been puffing along the main line for nearly half an hour now. His journey had taken him through stations and over bridges, but he had not come to any tunnels yet. The little engine was tensed up nervously as he steamed on through the dark. He was just as scared as he had been when he'd left the goods yard.

And not once had his ignorant Driver and Fireman realized this - though they were about to now.

Percy was puffing past some fields that the line ran alongside. The darkness and mist that shrouded them made them look very eerie as opposed to how they looked during the day.

"Moooooo!"

Percy gasped. A loud noise had just reached him from somewhere within the misty fields. "What's that?"

"What d'you mean?" his Driver asked, bewildered. "Don't you know what that sound is?"

"Moooooooo!"

"Yes!" Percy squeaked fearfully. "It's a monster! It's a big horrible monster! It's a great, big, ugly, horrible, disgusting-"

"It's a _cow_, stupid!" his Fireman huffed, shaking his head with disbelief. Of all the engines on the railway, why on earth did the Fat Controller making him work with the dumbest one?

"Oh..." Percy puffed with relief. "That's right, it's just a cow. I knew tha-wait a minute!" His frowned as another alarming thought swept across his smokebox. "Cows are usually only out in the daytime. What if that's a ghost cow?"

"Oh don't be an idiot, Percy!" his Driver snapped. "You should know there's no such thing as ghosts!"

"I think there are!" Percy wheeshed. "And they're all waiting to come out tonight, because its Halloween! Both the regular ghosts and the ghost cow-_ARGH!_"

Percy screeched to a stop, sparks flying from his wheels as they grated the rails. His eyes were wide open with horror. They were fixed onto what was in front of him, which made him determined not to puff another yard forward.

His Driver groaned. "What is it now?"

"Ghost cow on the line?" snickered his Fireman.

"No!" shivered Percy. "Worse!"

The Driver and Fireman peered out of the cab. In front of Percy was the large cutting of a tunnel. It stood before them, waiting for them to enter and pall them in the darkness that filled its interior. Percy's lamp was trying to pierce through it from outside. But being so weak and cheap, it barely managed to cast its beam over two yards.

"It's a tunnel," the Driver said bluntly.

"Just like the hundreds of others you've been through," added the Fireman.

"Not like this one!" Percy peered nervously. "This is _Horrors' _Tunnel!"

"Horrors' Tunnel?" his Driver repeated, bemused.

"Yeah! It's full of horrors like ghosts and monsters and stuff! They got the last engine who went in here and he never came out again!"

His Fireman facepalmed. "Percy, there's no such thing as ghosts and monsters. There's nothing wrong with this tunnel. It's just-"

"There is! There is!" Percy interrupted with a loud squeal. "I'm not going in there! The horrors will get me if I do!"

"Alright, Percy," his Driver sighed. "Looks like we're gonna have to show you there's nothing inside." He turned to the Fireman. "Go take the lamp and shine it around the tunnel."

"Me?! Why can't you do it?"

A sneer spread across the Driver's face. "You're not scared are you, mate?"

"No!" The Fireman glared at his college as he snatched up a small lantern. "I'm just don't see why I've got to do it while you get to stay in the warm cab!"

After grudgingly lighting the lantern, he clamber down from the cab and stood outside in the cold, misty air. He marched alongside the frightened Percy, leaving him where he was as he made his way up into the tunnel's entrance. He held the lantern above his head, keeping the handle grasped firmly in his hand. He needed to hold it up high to allow its light to clear away some of the darkness - but dropping it on his head with leave a pretty big, nasty bump.

"See, Percy?" He swung around to the spot to face his engine. "There's no ghosts or monsters in here!"

Percy was not convinced, which he made very clear. "I-I'm not convinced."

"Oh come on, Percy!" his Fireman groaned. "Don't tell me I've been put in charge of a little green coward!"

"You haven't!" the Driver called to him. "Because being in charge of Percy is _my_ job!"

The Fireman gritted his feet as he let his arm carrying the lamp drop to his side. He was gritting his teeth fiercely, feeling resent towards both his engine and his co-worker.

"Now come on, Percy," said his Driver. "Show me what a brave engine you are."

"But I'm not a brave engine!"

"I know." The Driver let off a sigh. "I should've known saying that would not convince you. But I tell you what; we'll go through it slowly. Then that won't be so bad."

As his Driver eased him forward, Percy's eyes went wider with even more panic. Going in slowly? That sounded like a terrible idea! If he was going the speed of a snail, that would make catching him too easy for the ghosts and monsters! And then he would never come out again!

With his fear reaching breaking point, Percy stared in his horror towards the broad mouth of the tunnel. His Fireman had stood aside, allowing his Driver to drive him to his doom. The gap between his himself and the bleak darkness inside became shorter with each puff he took. The tunnel was filling his whole vision as he came closer to it. He was now less than three seconds away from entering the home of the horror. His buffers were just becoming level with the cutting's first layer of bricks...

"_NO!_" Percy hollered, and he jerked backwards, throwing his Driver off the footplate and leaving him to land with a bump beside the line. The little green tank engine began to thunder backwards up the line. He watched as the cutting of Horrors' Tunnel drifted away from him. He was too alarmed and determined to get away to care that he had left behind his crew.

"_Percy!_" his Driver shouted, jumping up. "Come back!"

He and the Fireman began darting after Percy. But as it's pretty impossible for humankind to keep up with a runaway train, the two men lost him within the space of a few seconds. They slowly to a stop, staring out in dismay at the blankets of mist which he had disappeared through.

The Driver turned to face the Fireman in his worry. "What are we gonna do?"

"_We?!_" the Fireman retorted. "You were the one in the cab! You were supposed to keep him under control. Call yourself a Driver?"

"I am a Driver. I just unfortunately happen to be the driver of a very cowardly and dim-witted engine." Now sulking instead of worrying, the Driver turned away from his unhelpful colleague. "Well at least the Guard's still aboard. Perhaps he'll stop him."

"I can't! Because I'm right here!"

The men's ears perked up. They'd just heard a grumbling voice come from somewhere in front of them. Puzzled, they both marched forward along the line - to find a surprise waiting for them in their path.

There was the Guard, lying on his front at the side of the line. Percy had thrown him off his van, which he had done with speed instead of the hands he lacked. The man groaning as he lifted himself to his hands and knees - revealing there was a squashed sandwich stuck to his chest.

"Are you alright?" asked the Fireman.

Sitting up on his knees, the Guard looked down at the sandwich clinging to his chest. His face scrunched into a frown as he peeled it off. "My lovely supper! I was just about to eat that! My wife poured her heart into making it!" He glared up at the Driver. "Why can't you keep that engine of yours under control, your rubbish excuse for a Driver?"

The Driver sighed irritably. This was not proving to be a happy Halloween for him.

* * *

**So Percy's seen the tunnel for himself, freaked out - and ran away without his crew! Could this spell disaster coming? It probably will...**

**I have to say, I didn't intend to have this many gags involving the crew, as seen in this chapter. But boy, they sure are fun to write. XD**

**Look out for the next chapter to find out what happens to Percy.**


	4. A Smashing Crash

**Here's chapter four, people! Let's find out here what going to happen to Percy!**

* * *

Percy was still frightened as he continued to rove backwards up the line, pushing his train of trucks behind him. Fifteen minutes had gone by since he'd started to run away from the tunnel. He'd picked up speed over that time and had no way of stopping himself or seeing where he was going. But the fact he was in danger of crashing had not crossed his wee little mind.

"I'm not going near that tunnel!" he wailed to himself. "I don't want the horrors to get me! I'd better convince the Fat Controller to close off that line! Then I'll be saving my friends from the fate which engine who never came out of the tunnel suffered!"

Percy was just thinking of what a humble hero he'd be to convince the Fat Controller to do such an action - when he suddenly lurched around to his right, still going backwards. He let out a startled cry as he did so, having not realized how fast he was going. It took him a few quick glances around to fine out he'd just been switched off the main line. He tried to take in the moving surroundings that were drifting away from him, but it wards far too dark and misty for him to recognise where he was.

What he did manage to realize - to his alarm - was that there was no crew in his cab.

"Oh no!" he cried. "I've left my Driver and Fireman behind! How am I gonna stop?"

He found out - much sooner than he expected.

To his surprise, Percy felt himself lurch over another set of points. These ones led him onto a line which ran right alongside the one he had left. What he couldn't see was that he was actually on a siding which stopped dead before a thick hedge. A set of buffers had been bolted down on the end for safety - but they were not prepared for the heavy momentum that was about to strike them.

With Percy unstoppably pushed his trucks backwards towards the end of the siding, the brake van hit the buffers hard, shattering them to pieces with one blow. It burst through the hedge and bumped across what the ground beyond it had been made into. As the trucks followed the van in its path, the noise they made told Percy he was in for an accident. With no way of stopping himself, he rolled off the rails and through the gap the brake van had made in the hedge. Still afraid, he felt his wheels bounce across the uneven ground, then let out cry as they ran through something squelchy. Percy could also feel some small objects bursting underneath his wheels. He was just looking down to find out what it was - when his back wheels fell down a small dip in the ground.

That managed to stop Percy immediately. It had also saved him from crashing into his trucks, which had all piled up behind him. Their loads were everywhere and several of them had broken. There was fortunately no damage to Percy, but there was something horrible and sticky clinging to his wheels, running board, buffers and the sides of his boiler.

The moment he looked down, Percy immediately saw what the objects he'd been running over were. He was about to make a disgusted comment - but what stopped as he felt a beam of light cast onto him.

Percy's words stopped dead in whatever he had instead of a throat. His eyes flooded with fear again as he peered up towards his left, where the light was coming from. He saw a thin silhouette standing in the dark. They remained where they were for a few seconds, then began to make their way silently towards him. The night had camouflaged their appearance too well for Percy to catch a detail on what they looked like - but it hadn't taken him any time at tall to come a silly conclusion on who they were.

"Go away!" he cried in alarm. "Leave me alone, you horrible spook! Haven't you got a party to go to at the monster burger bar?!"

But as the figure stepped into the beam from Percy's lamp, his true identity was revealed - as was the frown on his face. Percy took a long look at him, then breathed a thankful sigh of relief.

It wasn't a spook at all. It was Farmer McColl.

"Percy, what have you done?!" he snapped. "You've ran right through my lovely pumpkin patch!"

Percy looked down shamefully at what he'd done. He and his trucks had made a big sticky mess out of what had once been an impressive batch of hundreds fresh pumpkins. He felt very bad - due to what he automatically assumed the pumpkins had been for.

"I'm sorry, Farmer McColl," he apologised. "Were these pumpkins to go to the children's Halloween party?"

"No! They were my harvest for me to sell! Now I'm not gonna make that much money this year! Especially from the Fat Controller, as he always buys at least two dozen every year!"

Farmer McColl was very unhappy, but Percy was feeling a little less ashamed. At least he hadn't ruined anything for the children. Ruining a farmer's harvest and wrecking his field didn't have much of an affect on him.

With a sigh, Farmer McColl began trudging away from Percy, stepping over his squashed pumpkins to head to his farmhouse. "I'd better call the Fat Controller to send an engine to get you out of this field.

* * *

A little later, Percy was still sitting in the pumpkin batch, wondering if those who were going to buy Farmer McColl's pumpkins would consider purchasing some squashed ones, when he heard an engine's whistle. As it was a whistle he recognise, he was not dumb enough to automatically assume it was the whistle of a ghost train. He peered through the mist towards the line that ran alongside the field, looking out for the engine who had come to rescue him.

Thomas puffed slowly into view. He stopped in a huff beside the field, a deep glare on his face. He was in a far worse mood than he had been since Percy had left him at the sheds. His cab was overcrowded - especially due to the size of one passenger he had aboard.

"See, Thomas?" said the Fat Controller as he stood on the footplate. "I told you there would probably be a job for you to do later!"

_Yeah, but I didn't think it would be carrying you, _Thomas thought sulkily as he felt the great weight step down from his cab. He looked towards the pumpkin field - and immediately found himself stifling a snicker at the sight of Percy in it.

The Fat Controller marched up to the hedge that ran alongside the field. He took a few moments to silently survey the damage (which mostly consisted of squashed pumpkins), then he turned to Percy.

"What are you doing, Percy?" he boomed. "I heard from your Driver that you ran away when you came to the tunnel!"

"Because I didn't want to go in it, Sir!" Percy protested. "I didn't want the horrors to get me!"

The Fat Controller blinked, puzzled. "Horrors?"

"Yeah! It's full of ghosts and monsters! An engine went in there years ago, and he never came out again!"

"I'm afraid Percy has been more dim-witted than usual tonight," said his Driver, who was just stepping down from Thomas' cab.

"He seriously believes there are monsters in the tunnel we were to go through," added the Fireman, who was following his colleague.

The Fat Controller glanced at the crew, then he led his head fall into his palm as he shook it in disbelief. He was beginning to wish he had bought one of the other tank engines on sale in the workshop where he'd purchased Percy years ago.

A little later, Thomas had pulled Percy back onto the rails. The little green engine stood behind his best friend on the siding. Orange goo was still clinging to him while his crew back aboard his cab.

"It's a good thing we built that siding there recently," said the Fat Controller, "or who knows where Percy would have crashed?"

Farmer McColl frowned scornfully. He didn't agree on the siding being outside his pumpkin field to be a good thing; it had been what had caused Percy to wreck what would bring him a ton of cash.

"Now, Percy," the Fat Controller boomed, "I want you to go back to that tunnel and go straight through it!"

"But, Sir, the horrors will be waiting to get me! If I go in there, I'll never come out again!"

"Yes you will. Because there's no horrors in tunnel. It's perfectly normal, just like any other tunnel. Now it's time you started acting normal, just like my other engines..." The Fat Controller paused, then corrected himself. "Or at least, _most_ of them."

Percy looked down sadly. Then he looked up at the blue tank engine . "Thomas, will you please come with me?"

"Of course I will, Percy," Thomas smiled. He had now suddenly gone from being in a hostile mood and now had a determined urge to help his best friend. "Please, Sir! Can I go with Percy to show him there's nothing to be scared of?"

The Fat Controller pondered. "Hmm ... even though it would be completely pointless and would waste more coal ... yes, Thomas. You may go with Percy. I'll meet up with you both at Knapford Station later."

"Woohoo!" Thomas cheered, whistling and bowling steam in his abnormal happiness. "You'll see, Percy. That tunnel doesn't really have any horrors!"

Percy smiled, thankful that Thomas would be with him. He still wasn't convinced that Horrors' Tunnel was just something Diesel had made up, but with his best friend accompanying him, he felt more certain he would be able to conquer it.

"Er - hang on!" Farmer McColl said indignantly, pointing to the pile of wrecked trucks in his pumpkin patch. "You can't just leave my field like that! You've still got some work to do!"

It was no good. He was completely ignored as Thomas and Percy puffed off the siding, disappearing together down the line and into the mist. The Fat Controller had already wobbled away, leaving the irate farmer with the huge mess in his field.

* * *

**So Percy is going to face his fear - with the help of his best friend, Thomas! Awww! Ain't that sweet? Nah, not really.**

**I supposed you could say this is a bit of a spoof on HiT's take on the show, due to how they constantly try to use the episodes to shove lesson's down little kids' throats (although I will say the episodes from the recent seventeenth season have been so much better). I do hope you're getting a laugh out of this, though. **

**Especially for what it's in store in the upcoming final chapter. :P**


	5. Now for the Cheesy Moral

**Here's the last chapter, people! I hope it provides you with some more laughs! :)**

* * *

Together, Thomas and Percy puffed swiftly up the main line. The little green engine followed his best friend, who fearlessly led the way. His lamp was able to penetrate through the fog and light up his path. The Fat Controller had made sure to purchase a good lamp for his number one engine, who was secretly his favourite of the lot (despite claiming he liked all his engines equally).

For a while, the two engines steamed cheerily without stopping along their misty route. But it didn't take them long to reach Horrors' Tunnel. The pair of them stopped a few yards from its wide open mouth, peering into the darkness inside that was waiting to completely engulf them.

Thomas frowned at the sight of it. "Is this the tunnel you're scared to go inside, Percy?"

"Yes!" Percy shivered. "That's Horrors' Tunnel, Thomas! It's full of ghosts and monsters! An engine once went in here and he never came out ag-"

"Percy," Thomas interrupted, "there's nothing wrong with this tunnel!"

"Yes it is! It isn't called Horrors' Tunnel for nothing!"

"This isn't Horror's Tunnel, Percy ... it's _Henry's _Tunnel!"

"Huh?!"

Percy's eyes widened for the umpteen time that night. He was flabbergasted to learn which tunnel he'd been afraid of. He gawked past Thomas and peered at the cutting. It was still difficult to see for the mist, but as he observed it more closely, he was able to recognise it. It was indeed a tunnel he puffed had through many times in his life. The very tunnel which Henry had once been bricked up in.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with it?" he asked, wanting to make sure. "There may still be ghosts and monsters."

"Percy, there's no ghosts and monsters in here!" Thomas huffed. He couldn't believe how stupid his best friend could be on times. "You should know there's none in here. You've been through here hundreds of times!"

"But-but-" Something else that Diesel had told him was running through Percy's mind. "I was told an engine went through here and never came out again!"

"The only engine who _nearly _didn't come out of here was Henry. And that was only when he got bricked up in here for being a selfish jerk, worrying that rain would spoil his paint." Thomas rolled his eyes. "And Henry got out of here, eventually. C'mon, Percy, you know that. And that was before you even came to the railway."

"Ohh..." Percy was now starting to feel silly - though he could always lay the blame on his lame lamp for not lighting up the cutting well enough.

"Who told you all this anyway?"

Percy gave the fibbing source's name.

Thomas stifled a laugh of disbelief. "Diesel?! Percy, did it ever strike you for one second that Diesel was just trying to scare you?"

"No. Because nothing struck me at all. Maybe something should have, like Gordon with the Express. Then I would've had to go to the works instead of go through all this."

Thomas sighed and rolled his eyes, wishing some intelligence would strike the dim-witted engine. "C'mon, Percy! Let's just through the tunnel and out the other side."

Whistling loudly, Thomas puffed forward and rattled into the tunnel. Percy watched as the red glow from the tail lamp on the back of Thomas' bunker glided away through the dark. It told him that nothing was happening to his best friend as he puffed through the tunnel. So with a blast on his own whistle, Percy chuffed into the darkness after Thomas.

The lightless atmosphere enveloped him from front coupler to back, but it was now filled with the swirling steam that spouted from the engines' funnels. No ghosts or monsters jumped out of the darkness to get Percy, which brought a wide smile to the young engine's face.

His puffing thundered around the tunnel, drowning out the conversation that was going on inside his cab.

"Why is it," his Fireman grumbled to his Driver, "that Percy listens to Thomas far more than he listens to us?"

"I dunno," the Driver sighed. "We drive him around and keep him on track. I even named one of my sons after him! And yet he'll listen to that best friend of his far more than he'll listen to us."

"Maybe it's high time we asked the Fat Controller if we can work if a different engine. I think Edward would listen to us better?"

"Edward?" The Driver scoffed with a laugh. "You wanna be the one to stoke up the fire in that load of old iron every day? Well, you can if you want - but I'm gonna see if I can drive Gordon. It's been my dream job since I was a boy to drive an express engine."

The Fireman snickered. "Yeah, and the only ones you've ever driven have been the ones on your train set, which you've still been playing with since you were a boy!"

Percy heard none of his crew's argument or words about leaving him as he puffed merrily out into the foggy open air. He had made it all the way through the tunnel. Not a single ghost or monster had been inside it, meaning what Diesel had told him that night had been nothing but fibs. He stopped behind Thomas, feeling very pleased.

"I did it, Thomas!" he beamed cheerfully. "I made it through the tunnel! And there wasn't anything to be scared of!"

"See? I told you!" Thomas grinned. "Now let's go off to Knapford Station to meet the Fat Controller!" His face fell as he looked down sadly. "I expect the children's Halloween party is over now. I wish all this had happened earlier. Then I would've had an excuse to be there."

The engines tooted their whistles and set off through the mist again. They steamed down the line to make their way to where the Fat Controller had asked to meet them. It didn't occur to either of them that Percy still hadn't delivered his goods to the Docks - or that his trucks were still in Farmer McColl's pumpkin patch...

* * *

Knapford Station was soon in sight. The ceiling lamps which hung from the glass roof illuminated the whole interior. Thomas peered in disappointment towards the platform one, which he was about to pull up alongside. It was littered with Halloween decorations and scraps of food. It told him that the party was well and truly over. The children who'd been there had probably had a wonderful time - and he had missed it completely.

Slowing to a sad stop inside the station, Thomas let off a sigh with some steam before looking up - and his jaw dropped whilst great astonishment flashed across his face.

Parked at the other platforms in the station were all the other engines.

"What are you all doing here?" Thomas exploded.

"Oh, the Fat Controller let us go to the children's party," answered Emily, "since we managed to finish all our work."

"You guys missed a great party," said James. "We all had a fab time!"

Thomas' face went as red as James' paintwork. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. The Fat Controller had allowed his friends to go to the party once they'd finished their work - and yet had adamantly refused to let him go when he'd had none at all. His boiler was heating intensely, and it wasn't because of his fire.

Percy - who had stopped behind Thomas - wasn't bothered about the party they'd missed. He was just happy with what he'd managed to overcome. He looked towards the door of the Fat Controller's office to see the overweight fellow himself step out through it and into view. He had somehow managed to beat the two tank engines to the station.

"Well, Percy," he said, "did you make it through the tunnel?"

"Yes I did, Sir!" Percy smiled. "And I saw there were no horrors inside it! I know now there's no such thing as ghosts or monsters!"

"Well done, Percy!" beamed the Fat Controller. "I'm glad you've learnt your life lesson for the day. You are a Really Useful Engine!"

Percy's face glowed (though not literally, as that would just be silly). He was feeling very happy. Far more happy than Thomas was that moment.

His crew had just climbed down from the cab. The Fireman stayed beside it while the Driver began to stride along the station platform. He had seen that at the far end was the table which had held the buffet for the children's party, and he was hoping there would be some uneaten cupcakes left on it.

He had just passed Percy's smokebox - when he spotted something lying on the floor, only just managing to stop himself from bring his foot down onto it.

It was a Halloween mask, which a child who'd been at the party had probably left behind. It had been made to look like a green-faced monster with fangs sticking out of its mouth - and boogers falling from its nose. It took the Driver by surprise, because it was the face of a monster from the horror movie he liked, _Nightmarish Nights Are Nigh_.

The Driver sneered. He had the perfect opportunity to spook the Fireman, who he'd argued with earlier about whether _Nightmarish Nights Are Nigh_ was good or not. He could hear him, talking to the Fat Controller behind him. Reaching down quickly, he picked up the mask and placed it over his face. Now ready to give the Fireman the fright of his life, he swung around with a beastly roar that made his colleague and the Fat Controller jump.

"_RARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!_"

"_EEEK!_" Percy shrieked loudly. He began to puff backwards quickly in fright at the sight of the ugly green creature before him. "It's a monster!"

"No, no, Percy," his Driver cried hurriedly, realizing his mistake and raising up his hands. "It's not a monster, it's only me!"

But it was too late. Percy was already racing backwards out of the station in his terror. He had left behind his Driver and Fireman, making him a runaway once again that night with absolutely no chance of stopping himself.

"PERCYYYYYYY!" Everybody shouted after him as he disappeared into the night.

"Nice work, moron," his Fireman muttered grudgingly to the Driver.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this story. Have a great Halloween - and don't let yourself believe any ridiculous spooky stories people may try to scare you with. :P**

**See ya!**


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